Thursday, May 3, 2012

Senegal's stability is being tested by President Abdoulaye Wade's
intent to run for a third term in presidential elections on 26 February
2012. A Wade victory would prompt unrest in Dakar, especially if the
elections are perceived to be fraudulent. Post-election instability may
force change or simply peter away, depending on reactions in other
regions and cities.

Abdoulaye Wade is a president of international repute, but his bid
for another term has badly divided Senegalese and has created growing
concern among neighbours and allies. Senegal has been regarded as a
political model in West Africa and a reference for democratic
constitutional order; an anchor state in a rough neighbourhood. This
election could undermine this record.

At the heart of the issue is the president's singular personality
and ruling style. Wade is 85 and he continues to see himself as the one
man who can provide the leadership that Senegal needs. There is also a
more basic truth about the Wade era: the concentration of
decision-making power in the presidency, and particularly in the hands
of Wade.

A patchy development and economic record have generated popular
discontent over long-standing socio-economic problems. The fragmentation
of political alliances, the spread of corruption and Mr Wade's
constitutional tinkering, would all make for a heated electoral process.
But there is no doubt that fundamental constitutional questions are at
the heart of the current situation, and to some extent draw all the
other issues together.

Simon Reid-HenrySpaces of security and development: An alternative mapping of the security–development nexus, 97-104.

Maria Stern and Joakim ÖjendalMapping security–development: A question of methodology?105-110

Small Wars and Insurgencies, 22(1), 2011

A transformed insurgency: The strategy of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) in the light of communist insurgency theories and a modified Beaufrean exterior/interior framework Mika Kerttunen, 78-118